Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s bid to chair a top continental body has received a major boost following pledges of support from Malawi and Zambia.
The two countries have vowed to push Mr Odinga’s campaign to head the African Union Commission (AUC) at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc.
The development follows Mr Odinga’s visit to Malawi on Sunday, where he represented President William Ruto during the funeral service of deceased Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima in the country’s capital, Lilongwe, before holding talks with Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera.
He was accompanied by two of his AUC campaign strategists, former Kenya ambassador to the United States Elkanah Odembo and ex-Nyeri deputy governor Caroline Karugu.
“Following the State funeral at the national stadium, President Lazarus Chakwera invited [Mr Odinga] to State House for bi-lateral talks.
"Later in the evening, [Mr Odinga] hosted in his hotel Malawi’s ministers for Foreign Affairs and Finance, accompanied by two MPs from the City of Lilongwe,” Mr Odembo said.
He said Mr Odinga also had a “lengthy telephone conversation,” with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.
“Both Zambia and Malawi not only assured Kenya of their support but also promised to campaign for [Mr Odinga] among their SADC partner States,” Mr Odembo said.
Dr Ruto announced the breakthrough on X, formerly Twitter.
“I have held a discussion with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ... [who] has pledged support for Kenya’s Africa Union Commission chairmanship bid,” said the Head of State.
This came after Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi had announced that Kenya will submit Mr Odinga’s AUC candidacy bid by June 30.
Addressing journalists at his Railways Headquarters office in Nairobi jointly with Mr Odinga, Mr Mudavadi said the government was finalising preparatory and application documents together with the requisite translations of the resume into six AU languages (French, English, Kiswahili, Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish) for submission to the AU Secretariat.
Mr Mudavadi, who doubles up as the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS said a secretariat was in place to spearhead the Orange Democratic Movement leader’s campaigns.
“Overall, the campaigns are led by the State with highly experienced and knowledgeable officers.
"The State Department for Foreign Affairs has established a campaign secretariat, which includes the candidate’s strategy team,” Mr Mudavadi announced.
The secretariat, he noted, will prepare all the briefs for use by the candidate, develop campaign materials including a digital presence, and prepare for a public debate to be broadcast across the continent.
“This will take place six months before the election date,” Mr Mudavadi said.
He added that an campaign strategy has been developed which includes identifying opportunities, challenges, and risks that Kenya’s candidature faces.
Mr Mudavadi said the government had backed Mr Odinga because “he is competent and we are looking at Kenya and Africa’s interest.”
Should he win, Mr Mudavadi said, it “will be a first for Kenya and will be an opportunity for Kenya to offer leadership to the African union.”
He said Mr Odinga has the requisite experience for the job. Mr Odinga has served as AU’s High Representative for Infrastructure Development.
He will face off against ex-Seychelles Vice President Vincent Meriton, Djibouti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Youssouf and ex-Somalia Foreign Minister Fawzia Yusuf in the February election.
